writing and knitting and the randomness of life

Phat Fiber!

I have been aware of the Phat Fiber Sampler Box for ages now. I first became aware of it due to Spincerely Yours, I think, but I only recently started paying attention to the boxes again. At the time I first heard of them, I wanted to get one, but didn’t think I’d have any clue what to do with the fiber. I mean, what could you do with little sampler bits of yarn?

Well, since then, I have run into all sorts of ideas of what to do with it. There’s shawls like Leftie, which use one background color and lots of smaller bits of color. (Great for stash busting scraps and for samplers! Yay!) There are also what one member of my Stitch ‘n’ Bitch calls “Frankensocks,” where you use all kinds of random odds and ends to knit up a sock and don’t worry about whether they match or not. (Crazy stripes FTW!) And then there’s scrap yarn blankets. (I have two in the works, with a third one planned.) Lots of ideas!

So, when February’s Phat Fiber Sampler Box was announced with a “coffee and chocolate” theme, I HAD TO GET ONE. Other than the “Geekery” theme last year, this is the theme that has spoken to me the most. So, when I just happened to be awake at early enough on the Sunday it was to be released, I opened up the sale page and hit refresh until the boxes showed up. And then one happened to find its way into my cart, and a week or so later, it ended up on my doorstep!

I’d never gotten one before, and had never seen any pictures/videos of what the boxes looked like, so I had no idea what to expect. It was a very fun surprise to open! And I loved how so many of the vendors packaged up their samples in some fun way. Some of them used fun bags to hold their fiber (or other items, since this was a mixed box). Some included chocolate – which would always be welcome, but which was especially appropriate this month! My favorite packaging was the bag from Kitty Mine Crafts, which was of the “Breakfast Blend” fiber batt sample, and came in the kind of bag that you buy coffee beans in. So perfect.

All of the things look like they will be fun to use, whether the stitch markers or the fiber or the yarn samples. (I’m happy that the yarn samples are about the same weight, so that I can use them in the same project if I want to.)

I am a part of the Phat Fiber group on Ravelry, so I’m also happy to have easy access to links for these vendors’ stores. I’ve bought from several of them before, such as when I wanted the things they were listing for the “Geekery” sampler box but didn’t buy a box. However, I do like being able to see the other things they are working on that didn’t get into the box, or that got into some boxes but not others. (For instance, some vendors send multiple samples over, say of different color blends, and so some people end up with Color A and other people end up with Color B.)

I really enjoyed getting my first Phat Fiber Sampler box, and I have to say that it will not be my last. I won’t get one every month, but for a fun splurge, I’m there. Kudos to the organizers for getting together such a fun idea and a great way to support independent fiber artists!

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